Pieces Of A Chess Set: The Diagonal Bishop

Continuing the look at the pieces of a chess set, this time we lean a little more about the Bishop. Sit down to have a game of two player chess and you will see this interesting piece three squares in from each corner.

The Bishop is one of the most confused pieces, as it is known by different names around the world. In the original Indian and Persian chess sets it was represented as an armed attendant sitting on the back of an elephant, indeed, the Arabic name for the piece is 'Al-fil' or 'elephant.'

As elephants in medieval Europe would not be recognised, the piece took on different identities. Many languages depict the Bishop as a 'runner' or 'messenger' ('Laufer' in German and 'Loper' in Dutch, for example) although in Romania the piece is known as 'Nebun' or crazy person.

The piece has changed names in French, originally known as the 'Aufin' (the Archer), which reflects the Arabic name and original character, it is now more known as the 'Fou' or 'fool' or 'jester.' The Spanish still use the Arabic derivation as 'Alfil' and in Russia it is still an elephant ('Slon').

Our description 'Bishop' may come from Scandinavia. The twelfth century Lewis chess set shows a churchman in this position and Iceland has long known the piece as the 'Biskup,' with the same meaning as our word bishop.

The shape of the Bishop has changed too and our modern Bishop tends to date back to the first Staunton chess set of 1849. The different names of the piece interpret its shape. The name Bishop came from the belief the piece wore a mitre but the French saw it as a jester's cap. Interestingly the groove in the top may still be a reference to the tusks of an elephant.

The movement of the Bishop has changed over the years too but the modern piece can only move diagonally. At one stage this was restricted to a few squares but now of course it can move across the whole board: this makes it one of the most valuable of the pieces of a chess set.

As with most other pieces, the Bishop cannot jump over another piece or change direction in a move and takes an opponents piece by landing on the square occupied by the victim.

So next time you settle down with your new themed chess set, you might reflect on this, one of the most interesting pieces of a chess set.

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